tile by tile
this saturday and sunday lis, zu and i tiled my shower surround and base. both my friends work for the state so thank god they have today off for columbus day. i had to be at work though but that's ok.
i have been meaning to get the tiling done for the last two weeks. but lis and zu were moving houses and i was helping them so this had to wait. but unless i finished up my part, the handyman can't return to finish up his. better late than never is what i say.
it took us one day to tile the base (which you have to do first according to common wisdom but then are stuck to let it cure for 24 hours before you can stand on it to tile the walls). anyhoo, bright and late on sunday afternoon (3:30pm) we started to tile the walls. nothing was level - neither the floor or the backer boards so, of course, tiled walls aren't level either but we did tolerably well for the most part. the first wall took 3.5 hours. took a short break for tea and dumplings and then finished the other two walls in 4.5 hrs (till 11:15 pm). we got the whole things down - comparative advantages guys (i'm not an economist for nothing). zu cut the tiles to size, lis laid and leveled and i was in charge of the thinset (and some laying and leveling). here is a 'before' picture. will upload 'after' picture soon. gymnastics was a requisite b/c the space is so cramped for two people working at the same time. it was funny. we sang and danced around and had a good time in general.
next on the agenda:
*
*
* prime new drywall
* texture walls
* paint all
* white paint on door trim
* buy vinyl for floor
*
*
* schedule handyman
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me and lis in cramped quarters, tiling like women possessed.
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notes: 1. tiling is much worse than it looks on hgtv. so before you decide to start a project make sure you know what it involves - both in terms of money as well as the amount of muck you will have your hands in. thinset and grout are not fun things to work with. leveling tiles are time-consuming and frustrating (esp. in older houses).
2. porcelain tiles are now cheaper actually (6x6 tiles, 1 sf = $1.96 + tax) than the old style shiny ceramic and look more upscale too, so go with it.
3. a little border at shoulder level makes the whole area pop. i chose procelain tile in a color they call "florence".
4. grout and caulking is available in matching color tones.
5. get white thinset instead of gray (like i did).
6. don't worry about tiles being covered in thinset - it does not stick and you can either scratch it off when it is dry or wipe off with sponge (more effort).
7. floor tiles on mesh are convenient.
8. perhaps you can't do a circular cut with a wet saw but you can get real close so don't make any unnecessary compromises on finish. try first.
9. the $88 dollar wet saw from home depot works quite well, even in the hands of first timers but wear goggles.
